Conservative Talk Radio Succeeds Because It's Simplistic; JFK Jr: "Political Prince in Waiting"? Liberal Group to Honor Jennings 1) Talk radio is dominated by hosts "whose views range from conservative to more conservative," NBC's Lisa Myers insisted as she attributed conservative success in talk radio to how conservatives offer a simplistic world view: "Where others see shades of gray, O'Reilly and Limbaugh mostly portray the world as black and white." 2) Bryant Gumbel on Wednesday morning set up a segment with Richard Blow, biographer of John F. Kennedy Jr., by referring to Kennedy as "the man who had long been... continue reading
Bryant Gumbel Forced Out by CBS?; New York Times Admitted Its Photos Distorted Reality; Geraldo Pleaded with Arafat; Walters "Impressed" by "Terrific" Sen. Clinton; CNN Going for Glitz? 1) Bryant Gumbel forced out by CBS? USA Today's Peter Johnson reported on Tuesday that only after learning that CBS went behind his back to ask Jim Nantz of CBS Sports to replace him did Gumbel announce his departure from the Early Show. Since Nantz and Meredith Viera turned CBS down, Johnson speculated that the network is working on "Plan C": Tom Bergeron. 2) Hundreds of thousands of people marked Israel's 54th... continue reading
Pilots with Guns Scare Cokie Roberts; Chomsky "Quite Conservative" to the Washington Post; GMA Picked the Kennedys as the "Most Amazing Family"; Seymour Hersh's Tirade 1) Pilots with guns scare ABC's Cokie Roberts because "airplanes is one of the few places I feel safe from guns. Having some pilot who's gone off his nut for some reason running around with a gun does not make me feel safe." This Week co-host Sam Donaldson stood with Roberts against guns in the cockpit. 2) Noam Chomsky is a radical left-wing MIT professor who sees the United States as a greater purveyor of... continue reading
Arafat as Mr. Rogers and Bob Vila; "Massacre" to "War Crimes"; Terry Moran Smeared Dick Armey as Favoring Ethnic Cleansing; CBS News Can't Afford Clinton; CBS's Balanced First Monday 1) Yasser Arafat, man of the people. ABC's Gillian Findlay and NBC's Martin Fletcher bubbled with excitement Thursday night in describing Arafat's photo-op staged events. Findlay relayed how when "he noticed a home damaged in the fighting" he picked up a trowel and "was soon helping to repair the walls." Fletcher related how "the children made him smile." 2) Now that the "massacre" charge against Israel has fallen apart ABC's Peter... continue reading
CNN's Franken Doubted Honesty of Camp Delta Leader; ABC and CBS Still Relaying Jenin "Massacre" Charge; Pollster Agreed that Polls Are Skewed; "Compassionate Conservative" Not "Reality"; Only FNC's Liberal Loses in Ratings to CNN 1) After Brigadier General Rick Baccus said the transfer of detainees from Camp X-Ray to the new Camp Delta went smoothly, CNN's Bob Franken, upset that reporters were kept away, demanded: "How can the public know that you're telling the truth about the move?" To which Baccus shot back: "As a commissioned officer in the armed forces, I can assure you that what I've said is... continue reading
Political Agenda of Report on "Big Oil" Disguised; ABC Concerned About "Root Causes" of LA Riot; Daschle Pressed to Repeal Tax Cut; Bush "Competency" at Issue; Liberal to Run Slate ; Media Money Goes Left; Military Trial for Al Qaeda on JAG 1) The broadcast networks all jumped on a report issued by a liberal Senator on how oil companies pump up prices. But they disguised the political agenda behind it by referring to a "government report," a "congressional report," a "Senate investigation," "government investigators," and "congressional investigators." Dan Rather offered a 1970s flashback as he raised "questions concerning Big... continue reading
U.S. Blamed for German School Shooting; CBS Discovered a New Threat: Global Cooling; Pay Cut for Peter Jennings?; GMA's New News Reader Raised Money for Bill Bradley 1) CNN anchor Daryn Kagan on Friday seemed to suggest a connection between the U.S. and a school shooting in Germany. She recoiled at the breaking news: "Not the kind of thing we want to export from this country." 2) Global warming? Never mind. The new danger: global cooling. Highlighting the belief of one man, reporter Randal Pinkston warned on Sunday's CBS Evening News that "he and other researchers are increasingly sounding a... continue reading
Did David Brock Dissemble on CNN's Crossfire About Whether He's Been Interviewed on the Fox News Channel? -- Back to today's CyberAlert Some Web sites and many e-mail postings and messages today have been picking up on David Brock's claim on Thursday's Crossfire -- that he has yet to be interviewed by FNC about his new book -- and sending readers to the March 19 CyberAlert for proof Brock lied. That CyberAlert features a picture of Brock being interviewed on the Fox News Channel about his book, Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative , by David Asman... continue reading
Palestinian Bombers Called "Victims" by Dan Rather; Goldberg Made It Onto Today , But Paired with Left-Winger; Stephanopoulos's Anti-Israeli Sister; George to Plunk Down $2M Plus for DC Home -- Extra Edition 1) Three Palestinians, armed with bombs and intent on murdering Israelis, were shot dead as they approached an Israeli settlement, but CBS's Dan Rather characterized the three as "victims." Rather intoned that "many on both sides are still stunned by the deaths Tuesday of three victims too young to die for any cause." ABC's Peter Jennings portrayed the Israelis as the guilty party, as if the Palestinian teens... continue reading
Bush Matching Clinton in "Scandalous Fundraising"; CNN's Cop-Out on Bias; NBC's Mitchell: Cheney Really "Running the Show" 1) Though President Bush isn't abusing the White House to reward donors, ABC's Terry Moran charged: "After spending a lot of time during the 2000 campaign blasting the Clinton-Gore administration for what he called its 'scandalous fundraising,' President Bush has embraced the practice with relish." 2) CNN's cop-out in the morning on bias. Discussing e-mailed complaints about how they are too pro-Israel or too pro-Palestinian, Jack Cafferty dismissed the concerns: "The news media is only objective if they report something you agree with."... continue reading